Accepted

I was scared to death. Imagine yourself looking at the next sequence, excessively chalking and slapping your legs. The chalk doesn't seem to be sticking like it does off the ground, you focus on your heart rate lowering which makes your heart beat faster. You question your breathing, is it to hard, to slow... You know the next moves better than anyone as your way to get to sleep is imagining the sequence in your head over and over. Your skin hurts, but you don't feel ready to leave the rest. Then with a little hesitation you go, almost in autopilot, and start climbing.

That is exactly how I felt when I got home from a weekend in Little River and found a letter from my school. It wasn't suppose to be here for another 3 weeks, and it caught me off guard. I slowly opened the sticky envelope not knowing what words I was hoping to read. They read accepted!!! I was accepted into nursing school. A feat that wasn't hard a few years ago, has become very competitive. Especially in community colleges that have an over run campus anyway. The slow economy brought back many unemployed and it seems like everyone you run into is going into the nursing profession.

I never expected to go to college as my parents own a sign company installing and servicing commercial signs. I had worked there for 2 years out of high school and made a deal with my mom. I would go to school if I could have a 2 month leave and go to the Red River Gorge. I had been climbing for almost a year, and wanted to get out and see life on my own terms. I quickly realized I wanted a career, not a job. Nursing seemed to be the most applicable profession after meeting people from all over having time off, with a sustainable bank account. I'm close to my dirt bagging roots as we all are, but I don't want to wake up in a van in 10 years out of obligation, but by choice.

Now I have been in college for 3 semesters doing all of my pre recs for nursing and taking care of all the classes I need to graduate. Last semester I heard they had over 600 apply and only took around 100. I have been thinking about the 1 in 6 odds since, with very little confidence, I turned in my application. Receiving that letter was a feeling that no route or boulder has given me. I start school in January.

Too legit to quit

Fall hasn't fell as we are still breaking record highs for October in Alabama. Sick. Not only did we have the wettest season last year and the hottest summer I have ever imagined, the shit weather has yet to let up. Just like my psyche!!!

I have not stopped all summer and the progress is slowly coming together and not just with my climbing. I have some things that I hope get supported starting this year. I don't have a name for it yet, or even any dates set for events. My plan is for no one in the southeast to pay for bolts or hangers for NEW development ever again...

To my knowledge the SCC will supply you with bolts, hangers, and anchors to certain people and only for re-bolting of existing routes. While existing routes should never be forgotten about as I have been re bolting and replacing rings this summer, new development is also something I have been playing with and I have learned a lot.

I have learned that bolting routes (especially new ones) is amazingly hard on steep routes. The investment of a drill just to begin the bolting is very expensive. The bolts and hangers average around 8 bolts, 8 hangers and 2 anchors.. Depending on your hook up, it's average of $55-65 per route. Now throw in drill bit's. The quick trip to Lowes will leave you $8.00 short of what you came in with, just to be dull and praying after a dozen holes are drilled that the bolt will still fit. That's $75.00 a route. . .Finally if you add in the price you pay of being a weekend warrior and spending the only time you have to climb bolting.... It's freaking epic.

It's epic enough just to be rapping off or bolting on lead. Fighting off all the critters who hide on the untouched stone. Carrying an extra 30 pounds of gear. Dealing with a harness the amount of time typical to a normal month. More importantly finding someone to go out and belay with the ground up ethics. Ripping off loose blocks. Getting way more tired than your hardest day of climbing. .... ... the list goes on and on.

Joe Kinder doing it proper as always.

I live in an area that has very little possibilities for new development. However our close friend Chattanooga has ample and a hand full of really psyched guys out busting their balls. Very few bham climbers know how to turn a wrench, but they do know how to party.

Every event I host will have a large percentage going towards bolts and hangers to people who are developing. Including small parties that will raise enough to get those guys the most help that bham can do. I fully believe within the next two years we will have enough to supply towards no one going out of pocket to bolt a route. If anything, I want to take away the excuse from lots of people not bolting because it is expensive.

It will be more legit in the up coming months, I will make it legit with a name, pay pall account to donate to, and a bolt count of how many has been bought. For now, that is enough rambling to make the Allman Brothers turn a head.

High Country

Driving up to Chattanooga on Tuesday I just had that feeling... feeling of good. I knew it was going to be good. I was singing and dancing to every song that came on the radio. Looking off in the distance, wondering if anyone has checked out that cliff or boulders. No where to be at any time until the following Tuesday at school.

I drove in just in time to meet up with my buddy Matt Ginley at the Terminal, a local brewhouse that serves one of the best IPA's I have ever let my taste buds mingle with.

We had a few beers and talked about the plans for the week. More like ideas. We were both just ready to climb. Looking at the forecast for North Carolina, we were set. But first we had to drink more beer and talk more shit.

The next morning we decided to get our route climbing on in Chatt as we are waiting on Matt's car to get tuned up. Turned out to be a fantastic day with great people. Love checking out all these new areas around TN there is just so much rock, and plenty of motivated people to tend to it.

After the shit show of waiting around the next morning to get the dealership to call us. We were packed and on the road for the High Country. On our way to Banner Elk staying with a local Pat Goodman. We got there just in time to meet Pat and get some mexican. Two pitchers of SUGAR margaritas and I was dreaming all night of the infamous NC bouldering.

Pat Goodman

We loaded the van with unlikely July 1st gear. Bouldering pads, chalk buckets, and jackets. It was 55 degrees and windy. It was a mighty big difference the morning before with temps in the 90's around AL and TN. We parked off the side of 221 to see how "splitter" the conditions were gonna be. In the back of our minds, knowing it's July, it can't be that good. But it was. Completely dry and kinda crisp. My excuse list started diminishing.

The day was brutal, filling our tips with some of the best stone in the South East. The soft skin from plastic pulling just wasn't up for the task on this sharp stone. These routes don't have many tricks to them, just straight pulling. We finished the day with a GIANT sirloin and a ton of sauteed vegetables. Not to mention great beer. By the way, Pat almost burnt the house down using "white gas". A little more flammable than the standard lighter fluid.

The next morning I woke up almost 11 hours after I had been to sleep. In a bouldering coma I guess, very VERY unlike me to sleep in. It really didn't matter as we all rolled out of bed a little late, we all decided we were out of shape for bouldering. Skin hurt, shoulders, back... well everything hurt. But the unreal temps were still here and a trip to Grandmothers was in need.

Warming up nice and slow, we started jumping around from problem to problem. More unique than the last. EVERY problem in NC looks easier than it is, don't let that fool you. It was such a good change to jump into the bouldering game 3 months earlier than I ever expected. The companionship you get from people you have known for minutes is unreal and some thing that is truly hard to beat.

"Have guns will travel" Grandmother Mountain

After a long day at Grandmother. We set at the highest point (kinda) and looked off at one of the best views I have ever seen. Drank a beer and headed out for another night of sitting on the porch telling stories and drinking PBR. Making yard art after every can.

Wrecked after 4 days of climbing. We went back to the brutal 221 circuit. This time we headed for the dump. After the dump we checked out a problem Pat put up about 6 or 7 years ago called bedaphile. 3 or 4 moves out the roof to a weird clam shell hold. Matching that as an undercling and throwing down and out a roof... odd. The jug you throw to isn't so juggy. After countless attempts of throwing my beaten body and tips, we left with something to come back to in the fall.

One more night on the porch, another case of PBR, and more BBQ. We felt more American than ever with a full belly and fire works lighting the sky up all around us. Since we were on the mountain it wasn't hard to see.




Monday morning waking up, feeling like a 90 year old man after a triathlon. Me and Ginnley went to the long wall at Lower Grandmother. A great warm up wall with plenty of nice holds to hop around on. The skin couldn't take much more as we walked around and dreamed of feeling fresh. We closed the day down at the Mad Hatter, and decided to head back to Chatty.



Recap on North Carolina Bouldering.


The shit is hard. No doubt.
Top outs seem to all be scary and dirty.
People are great and the locals have all the party tricks in the field.
Lowes has the best pre made sandwiches on the planet.
Masochist and instinct are two of the most impressive boulders I have seen.
Pat's home wall is better than most peoples dream wall. . . Un real.
Wearing a jacket in July is a new experience to me. Traditions start this way.
I can't roll a cigarette even if I wanted to. I don't smoke but every man should know how to roll.
PBR isn't that bad after all.
Thanks Matt for the trip and Pat for the tour!!
I love NC.... Going back in September.

I guess I will post my training log on here too. (lame) I haven't started it yet, but since there isn't much going on in the deep south when the humidity is higher than the hottest day in Boulder, CO. The gym is what I have to do. It's hot, hot enough where I can't find many people to go out with. Usually when we get there, the rock is soaked from the constant rain/humidity.

I just started bolting my first route, it's at Adam Henry's house going out the steepest part of the second shelter. One of the longest steep roof's in the deep south, not many that steep have holds.. This one does!! Can't wait to have a dry day to go out and suss out the beta. This is a brand new experience to me and there is a new psych building up. Being the first person to touch holds on new stone is amazing, something I give great respect to the guys who worked there ass off in the beginning. (Porter)

Looking forward to the next few months. My first time to train, so far it's been a beat down.. But i know the rise will be right at the start of the good weather. Hopefully I can stay healthy between here and then.

My body is covered in poison oak, I can't get a cortisone shot every week! Any body have some working remedies?

Willcutt

Bon Iver - Skinny Love (lyrics)

Mike Tucker

There is no question that climbing is a dangerous sport. But the system does work. It has been tried and tested for many years. It's terrible to see someone going out to do something that they love, and get injured or killed from it.


Last Saturday, April 17th a good friend of mine, Mike Tucker, took a terrible fall while climbing in the Red River Gorge. Mike was helivaced out of the Gorge and was in ICU for 7 days. Mike passed away on Saturday, April 24.


I was with Mike when he fell, and was by his side until we put him into the ambulance. This experience shook me up enough to question allot of my ethics. Climbing has exploded in the past few years and the need to enforce safety and evacuation plans are at an all time high. I would like to schedule a sport climbing "refresher" course. People get to comfortable on a rope and we are all guilty for not taking it seriously.


I drove Mike's car from the accident to the place where he was camping. When I got into the car the cd he was listening to was Bon Iver. He had the song "Skinny Love" playing and this was the last song Mike listened to. I drove the thirty minutes playing this song over and over. I think everyone should hear it.



Keep your thoughts and prayers with Mike's family. Not only did we lose a great climber we lost a great friend. He will be dearly missed.

The First Year

This is the first year I haven't route climbed through the winter. In the past two years I bouldered, but was never bouldering. I always did it on the REALLY cold weekends, or times where I couldn't find anyone psyched enough to numb out on the bitter cold routes.

This is the first year to do any competing. It's been a change that I really like. I was very skeptical towards the comps until I went to Triple Crown. Some of my funniest times carrying a boulder pad around. I'm still in the mid range of Advanced and Open range, so maybe next year I hold a chance to place.

This is the first year to climb in a gym. First Avenue Rocks opened late this summer and has changed the climbing scene in Birmingham. People are getting to know each other, hanging out outside of the boulders and crags.

This is the first year to have a camper to travel in. The ability to have a good nights sleep and good food is easy to do. No more excuses for not climbing my projects.

This is the first but not the last. I can't wait for the many other firsts to come.





The Red River Gorge's steep lines full of perfect pockets is only 3 days away. I will get there the 18th and come home the 28th. A spring break trip like this is huge for me, I will be able to kick off the route climbing game and really get back into my fitness. I'm anxious to see what the power from hard bouldering has done once my endurance comes back. No better place to get fit besides the Red.


To get fit I have come up with a must do circuit. A circuit that I believe will be used for the next 2 years by pretty much everyone. It's the 2012 circuit. I am planning on doing 20 new 5.12's during my stay at the Red. It will not be my main focus as there are plenty of hard routes to be done in my grasp. But just so I don't get sucked into the project mode, I will have to get the mileage in on 20 new 12's. I don't know what my rules are yet, but I would like to on sight at least half of the circuit. Throw this in on every route climbing trip, and guarantee some good endurance when you leave. You can also use this as a weekend warrior for the month or even for the year. I think making goals is a huge part of any success.


Hope everyone has a good spring break!

Willcutt